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While one of 2014's tallest residential developments looks to have been brought down to size, another has stepped forward to avail itself as 2015's first 200 metre plus proposal. Breaking the apparent inner-city lull in large-scale proposals during recent months, Southbank may well host one of Melbourne's tallest structures with a 280 metre residential tower proposed according to project architect Crone Partners.

Conversely images have been published online of a revised residential scheme for 54-64 A'Beckett Street in Melbourne's CBD which show a drastically reduced tower as the likely outcome. Sans 30% of its original height, the proposal still maintains its distinctive pinkish facade as envisaged by architects Elenberg Fraser.

<h2>295 City Road</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image30_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="295 City Road. Image © Tim Kirkhope"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="369" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image30_1.jpg?itok=LniU3vYI" title="295 City Road. Image © Tim Kirkhope" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>295 City Road. Image © Tim Kirkhope</figcaption></figure>Appearing on architect Crone Partners website in the latter part of 2014, 295 City Road is a residential tower at 261 metres over a 1,161sqm site in Southbank, diagonally opposite the 244 metre <a href="/new-apartments/elysium-54-clarke-street-southbank">Elysium Tower</a>, a planning application for 295 City Road was shown as lodged with the State government two weeks ago.

Featuring 532 apartments and retail space fronting City Road, Maretree Pty Ltd has been listed as the applicant with Urbis acting on their behalf. 

<blockquote>
The project has been rigorously designed in accordance with preliminary advice from the Planning Ministers department and is soon to be lodged for approval with the DPTLI. The development is targeting 532 apartments and seeks to maximise amenity for the residents, neighbours and the broader Southbank community. Crone Partners has worked closely with a team of top tier consultants to ensure the design is robust and functional.

The design skilfully works within the irregular site to optimise the yield, while ensuring the apartments are carefully planned to avoid overlooking whist maximising the spectacular views. Externally, a delicate seraphic frit is applied to a high performance curtain wall to create a diaphanous skin, which cloaks the apartments to offer protection, shade and glare control.
<cite>Crone Partners website</cite>
</blockquote>

<h2>54-64 A'Beckett Street</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image34_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Then and now. Image © Elenberg Fraser"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="538" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image34_1.jpg?itok=PG3vB_tp" title="Then and now. Image © Elenberg Fraser" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Then and now. Image © Elenberg Fraser</figcaption></figure>Also lodged during December 2014, a revised 54-64 A'Beckett Street's renders have recently surfaced. <a href="/buildings/australia-108-southbank-70-southbank-boulevard-southbank">Australia 108</a> developer Aspial - World Class Land is also behind the A'Beckett Street project, with the initial scheme seeking approval for a 253 metre residential tower yielding 300 one bedroom and 450 two bedroom apartments.

Situated over a 1,280sqm site, Elenberg Fraser have visually condensed the initial scheme from 81 levels to 56 levels, bringing the project in line with the neighbouring MY80 Silver Skies at approximately 175 metres in height. The decrease in scale for the project is in response to feedback from planning authorities, where a Melbourne City Council report stated:

<blockquote>
The key issues of concern are the excessive scale, height and built form of the proposed building, inadequate internal amenity and failure to appropriately respond to development of adjoining sites. A lack of setbacks to site boundaries and limited tower separation to adjacent developments will result in an exceptionally poor outcome for current and future residents.
<cite>Report to the Future Melbourne Committee </cite>
</blockquote>

Both projects are in the long queue of planning applications awaiting a decision from Minister Richard Wynne's office.
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silvermb

One up, one down in the residential tower stakes

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Travel past 12 Queens Road at the moment and massive banners adorn the existing car park highlighting one of Melbourne's premier apartment developments in the making. The latest project by developer Kangoala, Queens Domain will be aimed toward apartment buyers seeking large living areas and exceptional internal finishes featuring a number of firsts.

Urban.com.au recently spoke with PDA Australia Development Manager Andrew Rice who has once more teamed with Kangoala following the success of the recently completed Emporia Apartments in Prahran. At the heart of discussions is the role which PDA Australia plays within the development process and how this translates to innovative outcomes within Queens Domain.

As a development management company PDA Australia offers essentially a one stop consulting service encompassing roles such as site analysis &amp; acquisition, project feasibility analysis, planning permit application submissions, project management and various property related negotiations. In this way Kangoala has entrusted PDA Australia with the bulk of Queens Domain's development process.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/228-0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Queens Domain. Image courtesy dKO"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="1031" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/228-0.jpg?itok=QiRTRFk2" title="Queens Domain. Image courtesy dKO" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Queens Domain. Image courtesy dKO</figcaption></figure>Andrew Rice explains that by doing so PDA Australia maintains an integral role in the design process, appointing dKO Architecture with the principal design of Queens Domain, MDG landscape architects for external areas and Nexus Designs for the interiors. Describing each project as a stepping stone toward greater use of technology and innovation, emphasis is placed on the delivery of 238 distinct homes within Queens Domain rather than a generic apartment block.

With intense application to the cause and scrutiny over all aspects of the project's design, PDA Australia have implemented a number of intriguing design features within the project. These features are not price driven, but guided by sourcing quality, efficient products that can be easily installed during the construction process.

In describing his many overseas sojourns in order to research interior solutions for the project, Andrew Rice settled upon a number of European suppliers in order to provide Queens Domain with a point of difference. Chief amongst these are the Snaidero modular kitchens custom designed for Queens Domain.

Manufactured in northern Italy and present in the display suite, the Snaidero units are of an excessively good quality, larger than most traditional apartment kitchens and maintain an organic feel. While the form is impressive, it's the functionality during installation which leads to savings in both time and trades.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_5406.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Snaidero kitchen finishes"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_5406.jpg?itok=KOOoJ8Ty" title="Snaidero kitchen finishes" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Snaidero kitchen finishes</figcaption></figure>PDA Australia also approached Asko to provide appliances; quality in nature but with limited exposure to residential apartment projects, Andrew Rice reinforces that PDA Australia's stance was to source the best available products regardless of location or public profile. Also based in northern Italy, Pianca wardrobes were chosen to provide functionality to storage spaces while prefabricated doors, stone tiles sourced and pre-cut in Athens plus moulded bathroom sinks add to the list of innovative interior solutions.

A feature of the overall apartment floor plan is dKO Architecture's tailored design responding to what are traditionally large blocks fronting Queens Road with built form set back from all boundaries. With views and natural light emphasised, dKO have provided bedrooms with windows to two directions. In doing this Queens Domain maximises natural light penetration to all apartments; no apartments with borrowed light here!

Single bedroom apartments begin at 47sqm with two and three bedroom dwellings also included. The largest apartment on offer holds 166sqm, adding to PDA Australia's stance that large, liveable spaces are what is desired in the marketplace.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_5409.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Display suite views never to be built out"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_5409.jpg?itok=CFkJKsD9" title="Display suite views never to be built out" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Views never to be built out</figcaption></figure>As of last week in excess of 100 apartments within the 238-apartment project have sold with modest sales to overseas clients. With a focus toward the owner-occupier, Queens Domain's onsite elevated display suite is expected to see strong visitor numbers, while also providing prospective buyers with an accurate representation of the vista on offer.

In a novel method to generate project interest, viewers of the Queens Domain website can <a href="http://www.queensdomainmelbourne.com.au/competition">register their details</a> with the knowledge that a 2015 Grand Prix Experience is on offer which includes corporate tickets for two, a nights accommodation at The Langham Hotels and Resorts and dinner at Southgate’s Pure South.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MhTakzg965k" width="100%"></iframe>
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Queens Domain a showcase for quality apartment design

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Since resuming normal operations post the festive period, Apartments.com.au's <a href="/developments">project database</a> has averaged one additional new project entry per day during 2015. Updated existing entries aside, no less than 50 new residential projects have taken their place within the database.

While a select few new developments added during 2015 are either at sales or under construction, the vast majority of new listings are either seeking or have recently obtained planning approval. Combined these 50 projects have the potential to pump approximately 4,520 new dwellings into the Melbourne residential sector.

<h2>By the numbers</h2>

2015's new listings show that no less than 15 Melbourne municipalities have had at least one project added to their ranks. Stonnington, Port Phillip and Moreland are the most popular municipalities, accounting for 23/50 listings.

While this is expected given the popularity for high-density living in these areas, it's also a reflection of the ease in which information can be sourced online for the three nominated councils above. Conversely certain other councils have scarce little easily accessible planning documents available online. There are for instance 15 sizeable planning applications located within City of Whitehorse's boundaries that have little recognition online via the council's webpage.

Overall there are currently 677 listings within Apartments.com.au's project database; 344 are shown to be either under assessment or approved with the balance split between registrations/sales and construction.

<h2>The newest entry</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image15_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="81A Bell Street. Image courtesy Taylors"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="221" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image15_0.jpg?itok=5_gVLYK_" title="81A Bell Street. Image courtesy Taylors" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>81 Bell Street. Image courtesy Taylors</figcaption></figure>Most recent to enter the database is the latest incarnation for the what was once Coburg High School. Subject to a distinct doughnut-shaped, JCB-designed proposal in recent years, the site is now before Moreland City Council. Expected to be delivered in stages, <a href="/developments/coburg-vic-3058">81 Bell Street</a> consists of five separate buildings with 8-11 levels the requested outcome.

Holding 391 apartments overall, 81 Bell Street's scheme is distributed over an approximately 12,000sqm site which has been vacant for the best part of a decade. In its recommendation to Moreland's Urban Planning Committee, council officers suggest a planning permit be issued for the first stage of the development.

<h2>Looking ahead</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image46.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="555 Collins, 280 Queen Street &amp; 104 Mount Street, Heidelberg"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="352" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image46.jpg?itok=IISMyH_E" title="555 Collins, 280 Queen Street &amp; 104 Mount Street, Heidelberg" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>555 Collins, 280 Queen Street &amp; 104 Mount Street, Heidelberg</figcaption></figure>With a healthy backlog of projects awaiting entry into the project database, it seems that Melbourne's apartment sector will continue to march on unabated.

Seen above are but three of the many projects that will appear in the database over coming weeks. While 555 Collins Street is well known, 280 Queen Street at 250-odd metres and 104 Mount Street, Heidelberg are examples of projects that have escaped the public gaze to date.

Combining the burgeoning number of apartment projects Melbourne-wide and expanded research capabilities of Apartments.com.au, the Apartments.com.au project database will continue to grow at a rapid pace in the months to come; the expectation is that it will comfortably exceed a hefty 800 listings in the not too distant future.
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Urban.com.au's Project Database booms

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555 Collins Street has been reported as having a variety of uses post its <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/worlds-tallest-buildings-proposed-for-melbournes-cbd/story-e6frf7jo-1226627911154">first public appearance</a> close enough to two years ago. At that stage is was envisaged as a purely commercial tower, and at 404 metres would have put it firmly into the world's tallest buildings club.

<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/multipurpose-super-tower-planned-to-rise-to-new-heights-above-melbournes-collins-street-20141007-10rej5">Recent reports</a> alluding to a mixed-use proposal with roughly half the tower dedicated to commercial space have been superseded once more, with the scheme under consideration heavily reliant upon apartments. With the project's available office space relegated to the podium, 555 Collins Street's Singaporean developer has chosen to include over 1000 apartments within the tower; a number which not all that long ago would have been considered impossible, but which has been achieved by a number of recent towering Melbourne proposals.

While the merits of approving 555 Collins Street are subject to deliberation, what is not up for debate is the design merit of the proposal which is explored below.

<h2>555 Collins Street planning application</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image102.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Indicative model included within the town planning document. Image © Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="396" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image102.jpg?itok=aQi0kPCT" title="Indicative model included within the town planning document. Image © Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Indicative model included within the town planning document. Image © Bates Smart</figcaption></figure><ul>
<li>Current 2,292sqm site use: multi-level commercial tower</li>
	<li>Planning application submitted August 2014</li>
	<li>Proposed 91 level mixed-use tower</li>
	<li>6 commercial levels, 15 level hotel, 60 residential levels</li>
	<li>11,280sqm office space, 300 hotel rooms, 1,020 apartments</li>
	<li>203 car parking spaces &amp; 301 bicycle bays within five basement levels</li>
	<li>Total GFA: 134,557sqm</li>
	<li>RL 302.9m</li>
</ul>
<h2>Design rationale</h2>

<blockquote>
The design of the proposal will introduce a world class architectural response into the Melbourne CBD, one that captures the energy of the city, particular Collins Street and King Street. This sculptural form will be of a truly iconic nature, something entirely unique in comparison to anything that has been approved of constructed in Melbourne’s CBD.
<cite>Urbis, 555 Collins Street Planning Report</cite>
</blockquote>

From concept to firm design the process makes for interesting reading within the town planning document, where the best part of 40 pages were dedicated to the design process. Initially Melbourne's penchant for fashion, celebration and nature provided the impetus to create a flowing tower befitting of a prominent location.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image110.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Cited design influences. Image © Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="273" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image110.jpg?itok=Wt76jp1i" title="Cited design influences. Image © Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Cited design influences. Image © Bates Smart</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
Following a meeting with wind engineers, where it was suggested that softening sharp corners were required to deal with wind conditions, we started exploring a softer expression of the two slipped soft forms.

Where the peel or fold occur between the two slipped forms of the tower, this could signal balconies or openings. As it meets and morphs with the podium, this could celebrate the entry and change in uses.
<cite>Bates Smart, town planning report</cite>
</blockquote>

Consequently a soft, flowing tower with subtle variances in movement was created where the podium to tower transformation is most evident. By doing so Bates Smart have sought to effectively 'channel' the energy from street level and continue it up the height of the tower, particularly from the Collins Street aspect.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image114_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Concept to creation. Image © Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="274" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image114_0.jpg?itok=esZoX0iL" title="Concept to creation. Image © Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Concept to creation. Image © Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>Hand in hand with the soft form architecture is the facade treatment which brings a unique finish to the proposal's exterior. From bubble wrap to art installations and existing buildings, many examples were cited in explaining the tower's unique skin. With varying window sizes over the tower, the effect is to create a wave-like pattern shifting from solid to transparent over the height of the tower.

<h2>From the ground up</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image107.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Internal configuration. Image © Bates Smart"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="661" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image107.jpg?itok=ZSETQRNw" title="Internal configuration. Image © Bates Smart" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Internal configuration. Image © Bates Smart</figcaption></figure>A split ground level is in play where lower ground will encompass vehicle entry, loading bays, services and hotel porte cochère. Upper ground fronts King and Collins, with three separate entry points consisting of a residential lobby fronting Collins Street at 215sqm, office lobby fronting Collins Street at 320sqm and hoitel lobby fronting King Street at 440sqm. Dual retail spaces of 90sqm and 70sqm are also present.

Level 1 holds hotel amenities with the following 6 levels dedicated to office space. Level 8 is a dedicated plant level with level 9 providing further hotel amenities including pool, gym, lounge, spa and terrace. Levels 10-24 feature the 300 hotel suites while level 25 is dedicated to plant. Level 26 ushers in the apartment component with a sky lobby, followed by 27-66 which hold 680 apartments, or 17 per level.

Plant area once more for level 67 while 68 is split between amenities including a lap pool, spa and sauna plus five apartments. Further apartments are over levels 69-88, providing another 340 dwellings. Crowned with further plant levels, 555 Collins Street is at its highest point RL 302.9 metres with an RL of 3.1 metres at ground level, being the passageway to the rear of the site. Thus overall height is 299.8 metres or 295.9 from Collins Street.

<h2>As it stands</h2>

During November 2014 an officers report was prepared for the Future Melbourne Committee concerning amendments to the existing incorporated document in the Melbourne Planning Scheme entitled ‘Shadow Controls, 555 Collins Street, February 2013.

<blockquote>
The amendment seeks to allow the consideration of a planning application for the construction of a tall mixed use building that will significantly overshadow the south and north banks of the Yarra River. The amendment will not provide any public benefit, or any additional contribution to the public realm. The removal of conditions means that there will be no built form constraints imposed on the development site and there will be no expiry of the exemption provided by the incorporated document.
<cite>Report to the Future Melbourne (Planning) Committee</cite>
</blockquote>

As such advice to the Future Melbourne Committee/Melbourne City Council at the time was that Council should not support the request to amend the Incorporated Document Shadow Controls, 555 Collins Street, Melbourne, February 2013.

Since its submission during September 2014, no changes have been logged for 555 Collins Street's application status on the Minister for Planning Permit Application Register; perhaps the project's proponents are waiting for an official edict from Planning Minister Richard Wynne prior to making their next move? Then again perhaps the may be surprised with a favourable outcome?

<h2>555 Collins Street development team</h2>

<ul>
<li>Developer: Fragrance Group</li>
	<li>Urban Context Report: Bates Smart Architects</li>
	<li>Development plans: Bates Smart Architects</li>
	<li>Planning: Urbis</li>
	<li>​Aviation Report: Airport Consultancy Group Pty Ltd</li>
	<li>Traffic Engineering Assessment: Traffix Group</li>
	<li>Sustainability: NDY</li>
	<li>Wind assessment: Mel Consultants</li>
	<li>Waste Management: Leigh Design</li>
	<li>Land sales agent: Mark Wizel, CBRE.</li>
</ul>
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Softly does it: 555 Collins Street in detail

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Yesterday marked another step in the long road to gaining a revamped Queen Victoria Market. The third stage of community engagement regarding the redevelopment has commenced, which coincides with the release of the <a href="http://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/files/6414/2493/0317/QVM_Precinct_Renewal_Draft_Masterplan.pdf">Queen Victoria Market Precinct Renewal Draft Master Plan</a>.

The Draft Master Plan follows a period of consultation in which the community and those with vested interests in the market utilised the opportunity to inform Melbourne City Council as to what they would consider an ideal revamp of the institution. Following a period of further public consultation beginning this Monday coming, it's expected a final master plan will be delivered toward the end of 2015, with detailed design commencing thereafter.

And it's the final master plan which will outline the scope of works to be undertaken, where the current expectation is that the renewal may generate 9000 new jobs at the market, 12,000 jobs in the surrounding precinct and thousands of construction jobs.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image2qvm.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Precinct Location and Staging Plan and quadrant divisions"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="263" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image2qvm.jpg?itok=RNW2BZ3a" title="Precinct Location and Staging Plan and quadrant divisions" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Precinct Location and Staging Plan subsequently split into quadrant divisions</figcaption></figure>According to the Draft Master Plan "Queen Victoria Market will be a ‘market of markets’, with a distinctive offer and experience in each of its main trading quarters, interlinked by a network of attractive public spaces and connected to the surrounding city by high quality streetscapes."

While Quarter 1 covers the existing halls of Lower Market, Quarter 2 or Upper Market with its Victorian sheds is due for substantial change. A new frontage to Peel Street will be created while the quadrant is still listed as a possible location for an underground car park.

Quarter 3 will consist of open-air sheds and new public open spaces capable of handling changing markets and events. Quarter 4 involves the recently purchased Munro site and will see new development including a restored Mercat Cross Hotel, fine grained retail, hospitality and community uses that complement Queen Victoria Market. The new mixed-use building will also carry a mid-block pedestrian link between Franklin Street and Therry Street, in turn providing easier access to the market for the thousands of apartments under construction on or near Franklin Street.

<h2>What they say</h2>

<blockquote>
In 2013, Melbourne City Council committed to the largest investment in its history: up to $250 million to renew the Queen Victoria Market (QVM) precinct.

After 18 months of speaking with traders and the community about what the renewal might look like, we now have an ambitious master plan which will bring the market into the 21st century while preserving its unique character and heritage. It will retain what we all love about the market, such as the fresh meat and produce and speciality shops, while facilitating a contemporary retail offer, new public spaces and the realignment of Franklin Street to create an important East-West connection.

I invite the community to have their say on the draft plan which divides the seven-hectare market site into four quarters, each with its own unique characteristics, opportunities and potential future use. The quarters intersect at the Market Cross, a new meeting place in the heart of QVM.
<cite>Lord Mayor Robert Doyle</cite>
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
The purchase of the Munro site has been a game-changer. It gives us more options when we look at locating car parking and community facilities within the market.

This is the third and most critical round of community engagement to date. We’ve laid out a vision for each of the market quarters, but we need to test that vision with traders, shoppers, visitors and residents of the precinct to find out what’s important to them.
<cite>Councillor Stephen Mayne, Chair of Council’s Finance and Governance Portfolio</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image4_3.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Melbourne City Council's envisaged timeline for the project"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="294" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image4_3.jpg?itok=4gy4eykJ" title="Melbourne City Council's envisaged timeline for the project" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Melbourne City Council's envisaged timeline for the project</figcaption></figure><h2>Comment</h2>

Noted in The Age yesterday was a piece outlining certain traders displeasure with the revamped market <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/queen-victoria-market-traders-fear-extended-hours-will-threaten-family-businesses-20150226-13pi9z">trading seven days a week</a>. While not fundamentally against the changes that a redeveloped market would bring, their concerns lay primarily with the envisaged 6am-10pm trading hours.

Those gripes aside, Melbourne is a <a href="http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/CommunityServices/CommunitySafety/Pages/24HourCitypolicy.aspx">24 hour city as championed</a> by Melbourne City Council. QVM as one of Melbourne's premier tourist and shopping hubs absolutely should seek to trade as long as possible, bringing it in line with many other retailers throughout the CBD and surrounds. Provided there are sufficient ancillary entertainment options designed into the revamp, QVM should aspire to be of Melbourne's premier after dark drawcards, much like it is during the day... for five days a week at least.

Community engagement on the Queen Victoria Market Precinct Renewal Draft Master Plan is open from Monday March 2 to Sunday 29 March, 2015. For more information, see <a href="http://melbourne.vic.gov.au/participate">melbourne.vic.gov.au/participate</a> or visit the engagement hub at 452 Queen Street at the market.
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Queen Vic set to become the 'market of markets'

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Some times little projects are capable of creating a sizeable impact upon their surrounds. Fitzroy-based <a href="http://aaarchitects.com.au/">Adrian Amore Architects</a> are behind a current planning application which intentionally or inadvertently will do precisely that given its incredible form that will juxtapose with its immediate historic surrounds.

Currently before City of Melbourne, a planning application for 346 Drummond Street seeks to demolish the current small-scale office complex onsite in favour of a new ultra contemporary, two-storey structure featuring an exposed bent vertical enclosure and canopy. Combining this contemporary architectural expression and a host of ESD initiatives, 346 Drummond Street is certainly a departure from the norm.

<h2>Design Description</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/35_2b.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Aerial perspective of 346 Drummond Street. Image © Adrian Amore Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="335" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/35_2b.jpg?itok=ICpscHrY" title="Aerial perspective of 346 Drummond Street. Image © Adrian Amore Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Aerial perspective of 346 Drummond Street. Image © Adrian Amore Architects</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
The concept for this building evolved though looking at the context of this site, and its immediate relationship to the former police building to the south, which is a building of heritage significance, on the heritage register (1878). The siting of the former police station, with its front setback, and flanking driveways, opened opportunities for our design , because it became more than about how to treat a street facade.

It was also about the south facade to the driveway which made the site legible in 3-dimensions, which in turn opened the opportunity for the building to become sculptural. The sculptural form of the building, with its bending, twisting webs, which appear contorted and intertwined, can be likened to a bird cage, which has been torn open.

The nature of this form of the building is contrasting to the massing of the former police building, which is important to mention, as it is this contrast which highlights the inherent character and individuality of both buildings, standing side by side.

Essentially there are two facades or skins to the front and side of the building. The external skin being composed of a webbing of steel, which is to be clad in ochre BROWN coloured Zinc. Between the webs is to be perforated ochre zinc sheet at a lower level which bleeds off as the building gets higher. This skin of webbing rises, bends and twists to become a canopy to the roof garden and travels through the length of the building, bunching, becoming tighter as the building constricts, then running vertically down the rear facade.

It is intended that the webbing is sculptural, and also that it integrates with the roof garden.
<cite>Design description, 346 Drummond Street planning application</cite>
</blockquote>

<h2>Exterior finishes</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image71.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Inspiration to execution. Images © Adrian Amore Architects"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="254" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image71.jpg?itok=cTMBYHKB" title="Inspiration to execution. Images © Adrian Amore Architects" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Inspiration to execution plus expected project materials. Images © Adrian Amore Architects</figcaption></figure>With recent extensions to Bombay Sapphire's UK distillery (above left) noted as a point of reference, 346 Drummond Street's exterior will feature a variety of finishes including off form concrete, preweathered zinc which will shroud the frame, perforated charcoal and brown sheet metal elements in addition to glazing glazing.

Behind the woven exterior will be a rooftop garden. Described as "Luscious and Utopian", the heavy amount of greenery is expected to eventually cover adjoining walls and spill over and hang from the exterior framework/webbing. This will in turn provide a sharp contrast to the buildings exterior whilst also enhancing amenity for the office space inhabitants.

<h2>Heritage impact</h2>

<blockquote>
The proposed new building satisfies the expectations of the local heritage policy (Clause 22.05) in terms of its height, scale, and setbacks, however, in a direct application of the policy the unusual form of the building does not strictly comply with the requirement for a more conventional building form in a heritage setting.

The sculptural form of the building will present as a visually prominent element, but will not dominate the surrounding streetscape context, nor detract from the former Carlton Police Station, Court House or commercial building (all included on the Victorian Heritage Register). These iconic buildings, and the nearby C and D graded heritage buildings, will continue to contribute to the heritage character of the streetscape, albeit diminished.

The juxtaposition between the new and old built form in the Drummond Street streetscape will not detract from the architectural form and setting of the nearby heritage buildings, and can be accommodated in this area where the historic character has been diminished by substantial infill development. The proposed building adopts an elegant design, and will not have an adverse heritage impact on the heritage character, presentation or significance of the broader Carlton Precinct
<cite>Lovell Chen, heritage statement</cite>
</blockquote>

<h2>Comment</h2>

From small projects such as 346 Drummond Street to Republic Tower, exemplary designs don't come along every day. With tight development budgets generally holding sway, it's not all that often that architects are given what looks to be complete architectural license to design as they please, and even then there's no guarantee that a given design won't be pared-back beyond planning approval.

346 Drummond Street looks to be a project where proponent GMP Nominees (Vic) Pty Ltd has given free reign to Adrian Amore Architects, and the result the outcome couldn't be more interesting. But will the design respect the heritage aesthetic of its surrounds? As evidenced above the answer is generally yes, although it's clear 346 Drummond Street is in sharp contrast to the existing built form of the area.

Regardless 346 Drummond Street is such a rare, unique, almost manic design you can't help but want it to be built!
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Beating the drum for exceptional design

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A recent Friday 13th article published by the Australian Financial Review carried news that Walker Corporation's 2-12 Batmans Hill Drive or Tower 5 had <a href="http://www.afr.com/p/business/property/lang_walker_collins_square_tower_YNKR2WnpgqywfnnWEm6OsJ">received approval</a> from the Victorian State Government. Inauspicious dates aside and somewhat incredulously the Monday thereafter, deep foundation contractor Vibropile was on site, beginning construction on what is the sixth building within the Collins Square precinct.

This miraculously quick turnaround suggests that Walker Corporation's dialogue with government representatives had been positive prior to public approval, prompting the developer to ready the necessary contractors to begin works immediately upon approval. While piling has commenced, a head contractor has not been announced as yet.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_5416_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Piling underway at 2-12 Batmans Hill Drive"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_5416_0.jpg?itok=uRp0vyGj" title="Piling underway at 2-12 Batmans Hill Drive" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Piling underway at 2-12 Batmans Hill Drive</figcaption></figure>Covered by Apartments.com.au <a href="/news/and-then-there-were-five-tower-5-collins-square">when at planning</a>, 2-12 Batmans Hill Drive features a swale taken from the tower's most prominent aspect facing Wurundjeri Way. Described as a 'signature' tower in a key location and visible to the masses of commuters entering Melbourne via the Westgate Freeway, 2-12 Batmans Hill Drive will stand at 111 metres upon completion and add 34,700sqm of premium office space to the Melbourne market.

2-12 Batmans Hill Drive joins fellow Collins Square tower 727 Collins Street at construction, with the latter destined to be one of Docklands tallest buildings at 145 metres upon completion. Together the two towers will add 90,000sqm of commercial space to the precinct.

Further both buildings when complete will see contiguous retail spaces joined to create a cavernous and highly activated retail precinct at ground level, including a new internal passage dubbed Walker Laneway.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image57_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="727 Collins Street's progress as compared to a project render"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="423" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image57_1.jpg?itok=fPoEwIjy" title="727 Collins Street's progress as compared to a project render" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>727 Collins Street's progress as compared to a project render</figcaption></figure>Spotted in recent days atop Collins Square Tower 1 are the initial test facade panels which will eventually provide 727 Collins Street with its distinctive facade and 'crown'. Far from silver in appearance, the seemingly blue faceted panels will clad the top volume of the tower and are quite similar to the Sissons-designed <a href="http://www.sissonsarchitects.com/project/?p=0010&amp;type=c">Lantern Building</a> seen above, which acts as the entry point to the Collins Square precinct.

<blockquote>
Externally the building exhibits two distinctive forms with a rich façade expression resulting from the varied materials and finishes. The lower east elevation offers a particularly well resolved and carefully detailed façade proving a strong presence to Village Street.

To the upper levels the building provides an overhang to the north and west, providing an interesting architectural form.
<cite>727 Collins Street Planning report</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_0103_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Test facade panels atop Tower 1, Collins Square"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="345" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_0103_0.jpg?itok=zAAtEXdK" title="Test facade panels atop Tower 1, Collins Square" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Test facade panels atop Tower 1, Collins Square</figcaption></figure>While no tenants have been made public for 2-12 Batmans Hill Drive, a number of organisations are seeking new office digs with the Sate Government (25,000 sqm) and Herald Weekly Times (11,000-13,000sqm) headlining the list. It could be that Walker Corporation intend to press ahead with construction of 2-12 Batmans Hill Drive in the hope that they may steal a march on competing prospective office developments.

727 Collins Street on the other hand has both KPMG (27,000sqm) and Maddocks (6,000sqm) as signed tenants although the AFR article cited earlier suggests that the tower will not be ready until the early stages of 2017, a delay of some months.
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Collins Square approved one day, under construction the next

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Life has been breathed into a dormant <a href="/new-apartments/southbank-vic-3006">Southbank</a> development site with Hampton East-based BPM on the verge of proceeding with a reworked development scheme located at <a href="/buildings/shadow-play-105-clarendon-street-southbank">105 Clarendon Street</a>. Designated Shadow Play, the tower sitting on a 1,260sqm site will feature 52 levels of apartment living above a 9 level podium; both of which will carry a subtle rippling facade to which the project's name references.

Designed by <a href="/architects/fraser-partners-0">Elenberg Fraser</a> and with internals by Hecker Guthrie, Shadow Play is expected to hold 150 car spaces within the podium and 546 apartments within the tower above. While a restaurant may be the ground level drawcard, Shadow Play's top floor will host an entire resident amenities level.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image19_1.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Artist's impression of Shadow Play"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="338" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image19_1.jpg?itok=SGaKBy7y" title="Artist's impression of Shadow Play" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Artist's impression of Shadow Play</figcaption></figure><h2>BPM on Shadow Play</h2>

<blockquote>
Standing tall on the corner of City Rd &amp; Clarendon St, ’Shadow Play’ will form a landmark ‘gateway’ to Melbourne’s South Melbourne and CBD. Constantly morphing and changing as the viewer moves around the building, the sculptural form creates a beautiful ephemeral experience. Undulations in the façade give the illusion of movement across the building skin whilst also practically working to maximise views out across Melbourne.

The podium design is activated through residential apartments to the Clarendon St and City Rd corner. A layered and semi-transparent articulated mesh is stretched across the main corner of the building which is designed to provide privacy to the apartments and allows for a highly effective natural ventilated car park to Haig Lane and City Rd.

Working in harmony with the natural environment ’Shadow Play’ will create an iconic &amp; animated sculpture for the city of Melbourne.
<cite>BPM website</cite>
</blockquote>

As mentioned Shadow Play will replace the approved scheme onsite also devised by Elenberg Fraser. Approved during September 2011, the tower consisted of a 42 level, 133 metre high residential complex with three ground floor retail tenancies and above ground parking through the podium. With a GFA of 37,000sqm the then 308-320 City Road would have contained 360 one and two bedroom residential apartments.

Readers with an even longer memory may equate the current Shadow Play design to that of architect Ivan Rijavec's early Prima Tower design seen below. While there's more than a decade between the two, both carry splaying 'wings' of sorts emanating from a rounded leading form, producing a very agreeable outcome.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image21_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The initial Prima Tower with 308 City Road inserted. Images courtesy Rijavec and Elenberg Fraser"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="724" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image21_0.jpg?itok=jH9bayBL" title="The initial Prima Tower with 308 City Road inserted. Images courtesy Rijavec and Elenberg Fraser" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The initial Prima Tower with 308 City Road inserted. Images courtesy Rijavec and Elenberg Fraser</figcaption></figure>Shadow Play represents a sizeable leap in project scale for BPM, with low and mid-rise residential projects their forte to date. <a href="/buildings/collins-queen-40-collins-street-essendon">Collins &amp; Queen</a> in Essendon represents BPM's largest Melbourne project with 111 apartments and 6 retail tenancies currently under construction.

Nonetheless BPM look to be on a rapid expansion curve with Shadow Play joined by pending Richmond, Collingwood and South Melbourne projects, in addition to three Brisbane apartments developments in the pipeline.

Shadow Play's project briefing suggests the tower is aiming at a 2018 completion date.
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Out of the shadows and into the light

South Yarra is experiencing an apartment construction boom at the moment with no less than thirteen major apartment developments sprouting skyward. Comfortably surpassing the established might of Southbank, South Yarra is second only to Melbourne&#39;s CBD in terms of the number of major projects under construction.

Combined, these thirteen projects are according to the Apartments.com.au Project Database delivering 1,784 new dwellings to South Yarra, with an assumption that this would equate to approximately 3,500 additional postcode 3141 residents.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_5330.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The epicentre that is Forrest Hill"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_5330.jpg?itok=Hi6lYAVY" title="The epicentre that is Forrest Hill" width="580" /></a>

<figcaption>The epicentre that is Forrest Hill, as seen from Claremont Street</figcaption>
</figure>

At the core of South Yarra&#39;s apartment success is Forrest Hill; the once low-rise industrial and commercial pocket was earmarked as an urban renewal precinct during 2005. While a steady trickle of projects have seen tower cranes populating the precinct ever since, it&#39;s only a decade later in the early stages of 2015 where Forrest Hill&#39;s full might is on display.

Seven of the current crop are located within Forrest Hill precinct, including <a href="/buildings/lucia-chiara-4-daly-street-south-yarra">Lucia/Chiara</a> and <a href="/buildings/central-south-yarra-3-yarra-street-south-yarra">Central South Yarra</a> who between them account for 782 of the overall 1,784 apartments under construction. The image above capturing Forrest Hill&#39;s Claremont Street holds <a href="/buildings/prime-tower-47-claremont-street-south-yarra">Prime Tower</a>, <a href="/buildings/claremont-manor-7-claremont-street-south-yarra">Claremont Manor</a>, <a href="/buildings/district-apartment-hotels-10-claremont-street-south-yarra">Alto</a> and <a href="/buildings/ella-2-claremont-street-south-yarra">Ella</a>; all at varying stages of construction and cumulatively contributing a further 668 apartments.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/img_5344.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Central South Yarra rising above it all"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/img_5344.jpg?itok=2nrVnope" title="Central South Yarra rising above it all" width="580" /></a>

<figcaption>Central South Yarra rising above it all</figcaption>
</figure>

<a href="/buildings/yarra-house-18-yarra-street-south-yarra">Yarra House</a> also finds itself in Forrest Hill precinct, with the remaining projects under construction spread throughout the suburb. Projects west of Chapel Street include <a href="/buildings/six-murphy-6-murphy-street-south-yarra">6 Murphy Street</a>, <a href="/buildings/eight-murphy-8-murphy-street-south-yarra">8 Murphy Street</a>, The Hill Apartments and <a href="/buildings/her-majestys-apartments-52-davis-avenue-south-yarra">Her Majesty&#39;s Apartments</a>. <a href="/buildings/gisele-300-toorak-road-south-yarra">Gisele</a> and <a href="/buildings/pure-apartments-42-wilson-street-south-yarra">Pure Apartments</a> find themselves to the east of Chapel Street with the latter located in the emerging Garden/Wilson Street area.

While the current level of construction is robust in South Yarra, the next wave of projects heading toward construction in the near to medium term is impressive in itself. Of those apartment projects at registrations or sales, the list is headlined by LK Property&#39;s <a href="/buildings/capitol-grand-241-toorak-road-south-yarra">Capitol Grand</a> which at 193 metres in height would be South Yarra&#39;s signature built form.

Others included at registrations or sales are <a href="/buildings/wil-co-34-wilson-street-south-yarra">Wil&amp;Co</a>, <a href="/buildings/ralston-22-toorak-road-south-yarra">Ralston</a>, <a href="/buildings/essence-35-wilson-street-south-yarra">Essence</a> and The Elfin. Also watch out for <a href="/buildings/661-chapel-street-661-chapel-street-south-yarra">661 Chapel Street</a> progressing in the not too distant future.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image19_0.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Capitol Grand, 661 Chapel, Wil&amp;Co. Images courtesy Bates Smart, BDLC, McLaren"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="283" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image19_0.jpg?itok=NfMaG6ly" title="Capitol Grand, 661 Chapel, Wil&amp;Co. Images courtesy Bates Smart, BDLC, McLaren" width="580" /></a>

<figcaption>Capitol Grand, 661 Chapel, Wil&amp;Co. Images courtesy Bates Smart, BDLC, McLaren</figcaption>
</figure>

With many projects still to be added, the current overall list of 28 apartment projects within South Yarra can be found on the Apartments.com.au <a href="/developments">Project Database</a>.

South Yarra in full b(l)oom

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City of Stonnington are currently assessing the merits of a mixed-use, staged development that would replace the Victoria House Medical Imaging complex fronting Malvern Road, Prahran. Included within the proposal is a hospital, enhanced medical hub and two residential buildings combining to provide in excess of 150 apartments.

Rothelowman have designed the project with Victoria House Nominees Pty Ltd the proponent and long time onsite operator. Initially lodged during May 2014, enhanced plans were put forward again during November 2014.

<h2>310-324 Malvern Road and 99 Bendigo Street summary</h2>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image9.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Artist's impression of the Malvern Road frontage. Image © Rothelowman"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="322" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image9.jpg?itok=4w7-srnO" title="Artist's impression of the Malvern Road frontage. Image © Rothelowman" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Artist's impression of the Malvern Road frontage. Image © Rothelowman</figcaption></figure><table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1">
<thead><tr>
<th>Medical</th>
			<th>Apartment building A</th>
			<th>Apartment building B</th>
		</tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>6 levels / 25.03</td>
			<td>7 levels / 23.05m</td>
			<td>7 levels / 23.05</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>NSA 5,517.6sqm comm</td>
			<td>90 apartments</td>
			<td>64 apartments</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>GFA 12,149.3sqm</td>
			<td>39*1BR + 51*2 BR</td>
			<td>40*1 BR + 24 * 2BR</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>77 car spaces</td>
			<td>GFA 11,058.6sqm</td>
			<td>GFA 7,229.5sqm</td>
		</tr>
<tr>
<td>Cafe 266.6sqm</td>
			<td>97 car spaces</td>
			<td>56 car spaces</td>
		</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2>Design impetus</h2>

Running north-south, the elongated site's most visible aspect is that facing Malvern Road. Consequently this frontage carries a large degree of articulation and is a reflection upon the existing and prospective tenants that will utilise the facility.

<blockquote>
The design for the new Medical Centre loosely draws inspiration from concepts of 'motion' and 'body imaging'. Vertical blades, which also act as functional sun shading devices, shift across the facade, sculpting the upper levels. While the lower street wall explores the notion of transparency, the apartments buildings and townhouses have been designed to have a unique but complimentary character to the medical centre.

The Medical Centre and Apartments buildings explore notions of rhythm, density, reflectivity and flow to create an architecture that is distilled and clear.
<cite>Rothelowman: Town Planning Report</cite>
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image11.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The envisaged development with surrounding context. Image © Rothelowman"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="386" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image11.jpg?itok=hYkEj3G_" title="The envisaged development with surrounding context. Image © Rothelowman" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The envisaged development with surrounding context. Image © Rothelowman</figcaption></figure>The site in question also shares Essex Street with an existing DHS Housing Estate which is earmarked for development as part of the <a href="http://prahranrenewal.com.au/">Prahran Estate Renewal</a>. It's highly likely a number of new buildings in the 6-9 level range will be conceived for the DHS site immediately west of 310-324 Malvern Road in the medium term.

Rothelowman have provided the development with a public pedestrian link that as envisaged will continue through the DHS Estate development with direct access to Princes Gardens. In this way 310-324 Malvern Road also supports DHS' key principles for redeveloping their site which includes maximising amenity, improving safety and security plus supporting social interaction.

<h2>Medical mix</h2>

While only six levels, the medical centre manages to include a diverse number of uses within its walls. Atop three levels of basement car parking will sit a day procedure private hospital (basement 1, ground, level 2) while a dispensary/cafe is also located at ground level.

Level 1 involves a GP Clinic with levels 3 and 5 dedicated to specialist medical suites, leaving level 4 to Victoria House Medical Imaging. Stage 1 of the development involves relocating current medical centre tenants to existing buildings onsite in order to facilitate demolition and construction of the new Medical Centre. The apartment buildings would follow thereafter.

<h2>Comment</h2>

Rothelowman have continued their stellar run of creating multi-building developments with 310-324 Malvern Road. Attractive and considerate of the public domain, this Prahran design joins the award winning <a href="/news/public-permeability-and-the-tip-top-brunswick-east-development">Tip Top Brunswick</a>, <a href="/news/we-deliver-australia-post-and-185-rosslyn-street-west-melbourne">185 Rosslyn Street</a> and <a href="/news/planning-application-310-324-malvern-road-prahran">60-82 Johnson Street</a> as recent Rothelowman offerings that tick many design boxes.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/image10rl.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Artist's impression of apartment building A. Image © Rothelowman"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="336" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/image10rl.jpg?itok=qjnb1pEl" title="Artist's impression of apartment building A. Image © Rothelowman" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Artist's impression of apartment building A. Image © Rothelowman</figcaption></figure>While not mesmerising in its beauty, an historic 1893 double storey structure is one of two fronting Malvern Road slated for demolition. According to the planning report no Heritage Overlay applied to the site, with permission not required to demolish existing structures.

Heritage structures don't grow on trees and it seems a shame that Prahran is set to lose a slice of its heritage, albeit for a highly impressive new development.
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Planning Application: 310-324 Malvern Road, Prahran

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developments/broadbeach-qld-4218">Broadbeach</a> offers plenty of reasons to live vertically, but moving from a substantial family home into an apartment can expose the compromises of high-density living. Privacy, room for guests and usable living space tend to matter more when an apartment is intended as a permanent home rather than an occasional coastal base.

A typical residential floor at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/the-eveleigh-broadbeach-7-9-surf-parade-broadbeach-qld-4218">The Eveleigh</a>, on Surf Parade,&nbsp;contains just four apartments. The 94-residence development by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/hirsch-faigen">Hirsch &amp; Faigen</a> is predominantly made up of expansive three-bedroom homes, with a limited collection of half-floor penthouses above.

Across the apartment floors, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/rothelowman">Rothelowman</a> has used the relatively limited number of residences to give each home greater access to natural light and outlook. Living spaces extend towards full-height glazing, while a series of bay windows frame selected views across the Pacific Ocean, city and hinterland rather than treating the building edge as a continuous wall of glass.

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“The apartment floors deliver a collection of homes that embrace controlled outlook via a series of bay windows deliberately framing moments of view,” Rothelowman Director Kim Lowman said.

From outside, those projecting forms contribute to the tower’s faceted profile. Strong horizontal and vertical elements establish its proportions, while the changing position of the sun alters the light, shadow and reflection across the façade throughout the day.

The same attention moves inside the apartments, where the material palette combines warm timber, natural stone, metallic detailing and softer curved forms. Kitchens sit within the main living zone, with stone island benches, integrated joinery and European appliances, before the living areas extend towards the glazing and the outlook.

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Three genuine bedrooms provide room to accommodate family and guests, while two secure car spaces and storage address some of the practical considerations that can become more noticeable when moving from a larger home. Feedback from the display suite has centred on the warmth and restraint of the interiors, with buyers commenting that the residences feel like homes rather than conventional coastal apartments.

A limited collection of half-floor penthouses occupies the upper levels, increasing the scale of the living spaces and adding private balconies and elevated finishes. From this position, the outlook extends between the ocean and hinterland.

Outside the private residences, The Eveleigh separates its shared spaces between the podium and rooftop. The podium is centred on wellness, with subtropical landscaping surrounding a swimming pool and pool terrace, yoga garden, private gymnasium, sauna and hot and cold plunge facilities. Landscaped retreats and pavilions provide additional places to sit away from the main recreation areas.

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Higher in the building, a rooftop pavilion and private dining suite sit alongside resident lounge, barbecue and outdoor dining areas, opening towards panoramic views across the ocean, city and hinterland.

“Buyers are no longer just looking for an apartment, but a lifestyle where they can relax, reset, and enjoy a balanced way of living,” Hirsch &amp; Faigen Director of Sales Matt George said.

Interest to date has come from established owner-occupiers and interstate lifestyle purchasers, including buyers planning a future move to the Gold Coast. Many are coming from larger homes and want to reduce ongoing maintenance without giving up space for family and guests, privacy, two car spaces or the ability to entertain at home.

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Much of that daily life can also take place beyond the building without requiring a drive. Kurrawa Beach and Pratten Park are an easy walk from Surf Parade, while Pacific Fair, Oracle Boulevard, The Oasis, restaurants, cafés, entertainment and public transport are also within walking distance.

The Eveleigh is Hirsch &amp; Faigen's fourth Gold Coast development since entering the market in 2021, following The Hemingway at Palm Beach, The Emerson at Kirra and Yves at Mermaid Beach. Each of the preceding projects sold out before completion.

“Broadbeach had been on our radar throughout our time operating on the Gold Coast,” the developer said. “Following our projects in Palm Beach, Kirra and Mermaid Beach, Broadbeach represented the natural next step for the business.”

The Surf Parade site brought together proximity to the beach, protected coastal outlooks and walkability to dining, shopping and recreation. Hirsch &amp; Faigen also identified the street as an emerging premium residential address, with enough separation from Broadbeach's busier destinations to retain a quieter environment at home.

The Eveleigh is now under construction by Maxcon, with completion forecast for mid-2028. Three-bedroom residences are currently available from $2.87 million.

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Joel Robinson

The Eveleigh brings house-like apartments to Broadbeach

A long-stalled Campbelltown development site is back in play, with new plans for 139 apartments set to supersede a mixed-use scheme approved almost a decade ago but never built.

The new proposal for 28 Cordeaux Street would deliver 116 market and 23 affordable apartments in a part 14-storey building, bringing a substantial new project into a Campbelltown market where new apartment supply remains limited.

Plans have been filed over the 3,092 sqm corner site at Moore-Oxley Street, around 600 metres from Campbelltown Railway Station and the city-centre retail core.

The site already carries a mixed-use residential approval dating to 2016. Doroch Architects has now been engaged on a larger replacement scheme, which is progressing as a State Significant Development Application following a Housing Delivery Authority determination in August 2025.

The apartment mix comprises 39 one-bedroom, 72 two-bedroom and 28 three-bedroom residences. Two-bedroom apartments make up just over half of the project, while three-bedroom homes account for 20 per cent.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="136dd5b9-3791-4da6-9e31-76f533f5b4de" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da2.png?VersionId=LgOSy9nwf5u.MGswBBwaGGxuX8QpHSl_" />

Of the 139 apartments, 23 will be delivered as affordable housing under the in-fill affordable housing provisions of the Housing SEPP. The affordable component represents 15 per cent of the residential gross floor area and will be managed by a registered Community Housing Provider.

Doroch has sought to break the scale of the building into two distinct elements, with a masonry podium of around four storeys establishing the street edge before the residential tower steps back above.

The corner position has shaped that approach. Cordeaux Street faces toward the commercial and civic centre, while Moore-Oxley Street leads into the lower-scale residential neighbourhood to the south, and the design verification report describes the site as "bridging the commercial core to the north and established residential areas to the south."

The podium will be expressed predominantly in face brick, while the upper levels shift to brushed and grooved concrete cladding with darker metal detailing. Recessed sections, deep balcony edges and landscaping break down the upper form, with an approximately 11.8-metre setback to the northern boundary addressing the adjoining St Peters Anglican School.

<img alt="First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c8b3d2d3-c561-4bfc-a5d9-a68c0c10dac1" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Campbelltown%20da1.png?VersionId=AeAEyJU02Gk2k5noUj2StziCvdQ7fW4B" />

Campbelltown has been starved of new residential developments in the last decade.

The only other notable development set to come to market this year is ALAND's Queen Square, a mixed-use precinct on over two hectares that will comprise apartments above a vibrant ground-level retail and hospitality dining precinct.

First look: New 139-apartment plans revive long-stalled Campbelltown city centre site

First Look: Sherlock Construction pitches apartments for low-rise Deception Bay

Queensland builder-developer MAYD has revealed the first look at its major North Kirra beachfront development, lodging amended plans that reduce the number of apartments and increase the proportion of larger residences.

The project is planned across a substantial 4,742 sqm amalgamated site spanning seven lots at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/2-6-pacific-parade-bilinga-qld-4225">2-6 Pacific Parade</a> and 27-33 Golden Four Drive in Bilin​ga, directly opposite Nor​th Kirra Beach.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/mayd-group">MAYD</a> secured the site for $32.5 million in 2025, in what was one of the Gold Coast's largest property transactions of the year.

The development will be delivered across two stages, with the first stage carrying an estimated gross realisation value of around $360 million.

The latest amendments seek to reduce the overall apartment count and shift the project further toward the owner-occupier market, with larger residences designed for buyers wanting considerably more space than traditionally offered in a beachfront apartment.

The residential mix will include townhomes, oversized two-bedroom apartments, substantial three-bedroom residences and four-bedroom homes.

MAYD has appointed Cera Stribley to lead the architecture and interiors, with the Melbourne-based design practice drawing on the beachfront setting through a series of ocean-facing terraces and heavily landscaped balconies.

Strong horizontal forms and curved balconies will define the exterior, with subtropical landscaping integrated throughout the building to soften the built form and increase the connection between the residences and the beachfront.

The project will also include an extensive collection of resident wellness and lifestyle facilities, continuing the broader shift across the Gold Coast's luxury apartment market toward larger homes supported by resort-style amenity.

<img alt="MAYD" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d1bcbb05-e659-4b47-8bd4-1e595315e2ad" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-08-27%20at%202.05.03%E2%80%AFPM.png?VersionId=jj0XEud1X1DuLt7_KyElhjMdZGOXmLHP" />

MAYD Founder Todd Mould said North Kirra was increasingly appealing to buyers attracted to the more established, lower-density character of the southern Gold Coast.

"North Kirra presents one of the most compelling luxury residential opportunities currently emerging in Australia, combining absolute beachfront with the character and authenticity that buyers are increasingly seeking, and the same sense of tight-knit community that defined Burleigh and Currumbin perhaps 10 or 15 years ago," Mould said.

"With Gold Coast Airport on its doorstep, it also offers a level of accessibility that broadens its appeal across almost every market demographic."

The project comes as the southern Gold Coast continues to attract an increasing share of high-end apartment development and buyer activity.

Kirra in particular has emerged as one of the region's more tightly held beachfront markets, with its relatively low-density character, established surf and hospitality scene and proximity to Gold Coast Airport differentiating it from the higher-density markets further north.

Mould said those characteristics had informed the approach MAYD and Cera Stribley had taken to the project.

"We've worked closely with Cera Stribley to create a vision that is deeply connected to its surroundings," he said.

"Inspired by the coastline itself, the architecture has been shaped around space, privacy and resort-style living, creating a collection of homes that reflects the next generation of luxury on the southern Gold Coast."

MOTIV Managing Director Carly Cottam, who has been appointed to market the project, said buyer attention had continued to move south along the Gold Coast.

"Purchasers who may once have defaulted to Broadbeach, Main Beach or Surfers Paradise are increasingly recognising the value of a genuine beachfront location that offers lower density, strong amenity and a more established sense of community," Cottam said.

"Kirra has a powerful combination of growing demand and genuine scarcity. Beachfront supply is inherently constrained, the area remains relatively low density, and buyers are increasingly placing a premium on locations that feel established, uncrowded and authentic rather than heavily developed."

Cottam said the proximity to Gold Coast Airport was also proving increasingly important for interstate and second-home buyers.

"Being minutes from Gold Coast Airport makes it particularly compelling for interstate buyers, frequent travellers and second-home purchasers who can access an authentic coastal lifestyle almost immediately after stepping off a flight."

The acquisition takes MAYD's active development portfolio to more than $500 million, with the North Kirra project representing one of its largest undertakings to date.

MAYD is targeting an early 2027 launch.

First look at MAYD's North Kirra mixed-use precinct

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Castle Hill, the longtime hub of the Hills District, has been one of the major beneficiaries of Sydney's Metro expansion, with improved connectivity helping drive continued population growth, development and buyer demand across the Hills District.

But despite that growth, the suburb has seen relatively few major new apartment projects brought to market over the past 18 months.

Hills District developer Reve Group is looking to fill that gap with <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/nova-r-ve-castle-hill-2-garthowen-crescent-castle-hill-nsw-2154">Nova Rêve</a>, a major new mixed-use precinct on the corner of Garthowen Crescent and Old Castle Hill Road, a short walk from Castle Hill Metro Station and Castle Towers.

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The project will comprise three residential towers alongside a hotel, restaurants, cafes and a skybar, more than 1,600 sqm of ground-floor retail and almost an acre of landscaped gardens.

It represents the largest project undertaken by Reve Group, the development arm of the Kassis family, which has been building across the Hills District for more than 30 years through Kassis Homes.

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Nova Rêve also represents a significant step up from the family's first apartment development, Grand Rêve, which was delivered nearby on Garthowen Crescent.

Grand Rêve introduced larger, house-like apartment layouts and premium inclusions including Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances to the Castle Hill market.

Nova Rêve takes that approach to a precinct scale, combining the residential component with hospitality, retail and substantial public and resident landscaping.

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Reve Group Managing Director Sam Kassis said the project reflected the family's three decades of building in the Hills, which has evolved from trophy homes on quarter-acre blocks to larger-scale apartment development.

"Grand Rêve was our first apartment project here and it showed us what this pocket of Castle Hill could be. Nova Rêve is the refinement of that idea: not just apartments, but a place the whole suburb can use," Kassis said.

A key part of that approach is the hotel, which has been designed to operate as an amenity for the wider Castle Hill community rather than solely hotel guests.

It will include restaurants, cafes, skybars and all-day dining, alongside conference and event facilities catering to business functions, community groups and private events.

At ground level, more than 1,600 sqm of shops and cafes will open onto the surrounding streets and landscaped areas.

Almost an acre of gardens designed by Land and Form Studios will run through the precinct, incorporating pathways, seating, barbecue areas and children's play spaces.

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Reve Group's Romio Georges said creating an active ground plane had been central to the planning of Nova Rêve.

"There are gardens with pathways, barbecues, seating and play areas, shops and cafes opening onto the street, and a hotel with restaurants and a skybar that anyone in Castle Hill can walk into," Georges said.

The project's elevated position on one of Sydney's highest ridgelines will also provide apartments with outlooks toward the Sydney skyline, surrounding parkland and the Blue Mountains.

More than 80 per cent of the apartments will occupy corner positions, with Turner responsible for both the architecture and interiors.

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Mark Baljak

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